After Lu Ran finished speaking, he didn’t give them a chance to respond.
He turned around and was about to leave.
A few of them were gritting their teeth, but they just stood there, frozen, not daring to make a sound.
A verbal bet? They could play that game.
A contract bet? They couldn’t afford to play that game!
With a verbal bet, you could break your word, deny everything—as long as you stayed alive, that’s all that mattered.
But once a contract was signed, when the time came, you really would die!
But at that very moment—
Slap!
Just as Lu Ran was brushing past Song Xiaoya,
she suddenly snatched the contract that Lu Ran hadn’t put away yet right out of his hand.
Then, full of arrogance, she said, “Fine, let’s sign it. There’s no reason to be afraid of you. I’m just worried you’re a paper tiger. If you say you regret it now, I can still let you off, and we won’t sign this thing. Otherwise, we all sign it and see who dies!”
“Ha ha…” Lu Ran paused, turned his head back to look at Song Xiaoya, and even nodded with satisfaction.
This was exactly the effect he wanted!
If these guys had just backed down, kept their mouths shut, and swallowed their frustration, Lu Ran really wouldn’t have had any other moves.
But Song Xiaoya stepped up.
Hadn’t the matter just sorted itself out?
Lu Ran’s reaction left Song Xiaoya feeling uncertain.
This wasn’t the result she had expected.
She had thought Lu Ran was still just putting on a tough act, trying to use the contract and the life bet to scare them.
Seeing Lu Ran act tough and then just walk away made the suspicion even stronger!
That’s why she stopped him.
But Lu Ran’s reaction didn’t look like an act at all.
After all, they were really about to sign the contract—who could keep pretending at that point?
“Xiaoya! You…” Liu Haitao looked at Song Xiaoya, completely shocked.
Lu Ran’s eyes immediately turned to Liu Haitao and he said flatly, “Liu Haitao, do you have a problem? Song Xiaoya dares to sign, but you don’t?”
“Why wouldn’t I dare? Based on what—you? I’ll sign!” Liu Haitao shouted reflexively.
That works.
Lu Ran nodded with satisfaction. Song Xiaoya and Liu Haitao were both hooked.
All that was left were Zhu Xudong and Deng Zhijie.
Lu Ran’s gaze moved to these last two.
He didn’t even need to say anything; these two were forced into it too, stepping forward stubbornly.
“No need to look at us. We’ll definitely sign.”
“You’re the one who doesn’t dare to sign.”
The two said almost simultaneously.
“Then let’s get started. What are you standing around for?” Lu Ran looked at Song Xiaoya.
Song Xiaoya frowned, trying to read something from Lu Ran’s face.
But unfortunately, in the end, the unwillingness to back down and her confidence made her give up probing further.
Either way, Lu Ran was going to lose!
This contract—they could sign, they had to sign!
Even though the four of them hadn’t expected that coming to mock Lu Ran would push things to this extreme,
still, as they thought before, they were confident enough!
The guilds backing each of them were quite strong. There was no reason they would lose to Lu Ran.
So, four contracts were drawn up.
The rules were crystal clear: it was about the upcoming spot for Blackfire City Academy in the Hundred Cities League. If Lu Ran got the spot, Song Xiaoya, Liu Haitao, Zhu Xudong, and Deng Zhijie would die. If any one of them got the spot, Lu Ran would die!
Lu Ran glanced over the terms, and after confirming there were no mistakes, he signed directly.
The four exchanged glances, hesitated for a brief moment, and then followed suit and signed as well.
In the next second,
the four contract papers burst forth with a golden light, and then vanished into nothingness. The contracts were officially in effect!
The four couldn’t help but swallow nervously.
Yet they still tried to act relaxed:
“Well now, the contract’s set. Not a bad harvest today.”
“Lu Ran, just take this as a lesson. Be more careful in your next life.”
“That’s right, be more careful in the next life not to put on a tough act just for a little pitiful dignity.”
“What a pity. Leveled up pretty fast, but turns out he’s just a reckless fool. Ha ha…”
…
Facing the four’s mockery,
Lu Ran didn’t retort.
Their lives were already forfeit. Why bother retorting?
A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he looked at the four with amusement.
That kind of gaze and strange expression made the four of them feel a chill creep up their spines.
“What are you looking at? The contract’s already signed. No one can run now. So, do you want to keep a copy of the contract?” Song Xiaoya asked.
Lu Ran waved his hand dismissively
and said, “The contract’s already in effect. Even if you destroy the paper, the result can’t be changed. The outcome is already decided. Keeping this thing is useless; it has no sentimental value for me. Keep it with you. It’ll be erased along with you by the data when the time comes.”
After speaking,
he glanced at the training field not far away. The crowd was even larger than before.
“Time’s about up. Time to fulfill the bet.”
With that, he turned and left, not wasting any more words on these four.
His goal was already achieved.
What was the point of wasting words on the dead?
The four watched Lu Ran’s departing back, their brows deeply furrowed.
“Something’s a bit strange. Even if Lu Ran was faking, there’s no way he could fake it to this extent.”
“I find it strange too. This kid isn’t setting us up, is he?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re rare classes, he’s just a regular class. We’ve got major guilds backing us up too.”
“Exactly. The backing guilds hold a lot of sway. Even if the academy decides the spot, our guilds behind us have the power to turn things around and interfere with the result.”
“In this round, there’s absolutely no chance we can lose!”
…
The four said to each other, faces full of doubt.
But at the same time, they were also curious.
If Lu Ran dared to sign up, he must have a guild backing him too, right?
Which guild was it?
They weren’t given much time to think—though honestly, even with time, they’d never guess it.
Seeing that assembly was starting, the four hurried over.
From their respective classes, the four constantly turned their heads to look towards Lu Ran’s class,
hoping to see panic, despair, and bewilderment on Lu Ran’s face.
But clearly, they wouldn’t see any of that.
Lu Ran was utterly calm, relaxed, and at ease.
If they were closer, that guy might even be humming a tune!
Just then,
the instructors all appeared on the stage.
Jiang Zhenbei, as the dean, stood up and walked to the front of the stage.
Looking out at the crowd below, his gaze specifically swept over Lu Ran.
Then he began, “This morning’s assembly is quite simple. I believe the level leaderboards have lost their novelty for everyone by now. They’re mostly set, and the gaps have already widened. Today’s meeting is mainly to announce the student who has earned the spot to represent Blackfire Academy at the Hundred Cities League in the imperial capital.”
After finishing,
Jiang Zhenbei pulled out a list and waved it in his hand.
He continued, “The number of applicants this time was thirteen. The students were quite active. Unfortunately, only one can ultimately get the spot. I won’t beat around the bush. After discussion and research by the academy council, the final decision is that this spot goes to Lu Ran, Student Lu from Class Three! Let’s give him a round of applause!”
Huh?
The four in the crowd shot up like they were spring-loaded.
What kind of international joke was this!
It was over right from the start?
It goes directly to Lu Ran?
This is rigged!
“I disagree!”
“Why Lu Ran!”
“We all signed up too. In what way are any of us worse than Lu Ran?”
“What’s the basis for this? Isn’t this just messing around?”
…
The four immediately shouted out.
They couldn’t afford not to be anxious.
If they let even a small oversight slide, and the contract judged the result as settled, they would die!
They had to intervene directly and challenge the result!
At the same time, from the crowd around the training field, the guild leaders backing the four also stepped forward, frowning.
At that same moment,
outside the academy,
Lei Tai, Ye Hongyi, Liu Xinxin, and Yu Qingcang walked in slowly.
From today on, Lu Ran no longer needed to hide!
The guild backing Lu Ran that Song Xiaoya and the others couldn’t guess—it wasn’t just one guild, but four!
The four top guilds of Longxia!
